Gooey chocolate and espresso puddings with salted almond brittle

Everyone needs a foolproof, sexy chocolate pudding in their repertoire and this gooey espresso version always delivers. You can easily skip the shot of espresso if you don’t have a machine – it won’t affect the cooking time or yum factor.

Serves 4

150g butter, chopped, plus extra for greasing 80g caster sugar 150g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), roughly chopped 30ml shot of espresso 3 free-range egg yolks 3 whole freerange eggs 1tbsp cornflour, sifted Double cream, to serve

For the salted almond brittle

100g almond flakes 50g caster sugar 50g butter 2tsp sea salt 1Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. 2Grease 4 individual pudding bowls or oven-proof ramekins with butter. 3Place the butter, sugar and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan of simmering water. Once melted, remove from the heat. Add espresso and whisk until combined. 4Whisking constantly, add egg yolks and whole eggs, making sure the egg doesn’t cook. Fold in cornflour. Pour mixture into prepared bowls and place onto a baking tray. Put straight into the oven and cook for 16 to 18 minutes. 5Meanwhile,

to make the salted almond brittle, heat a large non-stick frying pan to a medium-low temperature. Add almonds, caster sugar, butter and salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until lightly golden and the sugar has dissolved and caramelised the almonds. Remove from pan and spread in a single layer on a plate lined with baking paper. Allow to cool and then gently break up with your hands. 6Let

puddings rest for a minute before serving with double cream, topped with salted almond brittle.